Photo Left: A professional head shot of Liz, a woman with blond hair wearing a gray suit and a light blue shirt underneath. She is smiling slightly.
Photo Above: Liz standing in front of a hockey net. She is wearing a green jersey with the number 30, along with red pads, gloves, and a helmet
When it comes to naming a person with a full plate and a passion for helping others, Liz Bottner should be a go-to choice.
The native of Newark, DE now resides in Washington, D.C. She is one of three triplet girls, each of whom has from a minimal to a significant visual impairment. Liz happens to have retinopathy of prematurity. She currently has her fourth guide dog from Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a black lab named Ocala. Trained in the school’s Running Guides Program, Ocala has accompanied Liz on two races.
Liz is highly active within the American Council of the Blind, a true passion of hers. She serves as vice president of the ACB Government Employees affiliate, is a board member of Guide Dog Users Inc. (GDUI), and is a member of the Pedestrian Environmental Access Committee, the Audio Description Section 508 Subcommittee, and the ACB of Maryland state affiliate. In terms of ACB NextGen, she is a proud member of the affiliate and serves as a Zoom host for some meetings. Plus, she even finds time to serve on advisory boards for various groups in the D.C. area.
She was recently recognized for her versatile body of work within ACB. In 2023, she received the ACB JP Morgan/Chase Leadership Fellows Award.
“There is so much advocacy that needs to be done in the disability space in general, but especially in the blind and visually impaired community,” she says. “I like connecting people with resources and helping them get to where they want to be. If I can’t help them directly but can make a personal handoff to someone else, sometimes that’s even better.”
Liz’s day job is as an Assistive Technology Specialist with the National Library Service (NLS) at the Library of Congress on the Patron Engagement team. She trains staff and patrons on assistive tech and also helps with various accessibility efforts.
“It’s an honor and privilege to have this role as we continue to work toward shaping the future of the NLS,” Liz shares.
She previously served as an Independent Living Instructor with the Veterans Administration (VA). For anyone looking for a job, her advice is as follows: “Go for it. If you want something and something is interesting to you,, find people who will help you get to where you want to be.”
Along with her work with the NLS, she currently serves as vice president of Penny Forward, a nonprofit offering financial courses and training geared toward the blind and visually impaired community. Her role also includes co-hosting the Penny Forward podcast.
Liz is very passionate about being physically active as well. She served as the first-ever goalie for the Hartford Braillers, a blind hockey team based in Connecticut. She is looking forward to joining the Washington Blind Hockey Club in D.C. at some point.
“Blind hockey is amazing,” she says. “I was hooked from the first time I tried it. As a goalie, I like trying to stop the puck. It’s a mental game as much as a physical game.
In terms of running, she has run with both human guides and her guide dog. This includes some events with Achilles International, a nonprofit that helps provide opportunities for people with disabilities to walk and run in their local communities. Liz believes running only takes. a few simple adaptations to make it accessible to those with a visual impairment.
“You just need a tether, good running shoes, and something comfortable to wear,” she explains.
She enjoys competing in races but focuses more on the adrenaline rush she gets.
“You’re competing with others as much as with yourself. In general, I just enjoy being active, and running affords me that ability.”
Liz also loves traveling and hopes to visit the pyramids in Egypt someday. Finally, she tries to squeeze in reading sci-fi and fantasy titles when she can. In addition to the NLS reading options like BARD, she recommends Goodreads which she says has a very accessible mobile app.
At the end of the day, Liz has a very upbeat outlook and encourages others to adopt one in order to find their own passions and increase their enjoyment in life. “If you have a positive demeanor and you focus on the positives, there are. good things in every situation. If you put out positive energy and focus on that, that is what will come back to you,” she says.